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Fictional crime fighter ‘Robocop’ statue coming to Detroit

FILE - This 1990 file photo released by Orion Pictures Corp. shows film director Irvin Kershner, right, and actor Peter Weller, portraying Robocop, during the making of "Robocop II." A group working to build a statue in Detroit of the fictional crime-fighting cyborg RoboCop says it has reached its fundraising goal of $50,000. Brandon Walley of Imagination Station said Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011, he's "very positive" the sculpture will become a reality. Photo: Associated Press/AP Photo/Orion Pictures Corp., Deana Newcomb, File

DETROIT (AP) — Creators of a Detroit statue of the fictional crime-fighting cyborg Robocop say they plan to unveil it next summer.

Venus Bronze Works in Detroit is getting ready to cast pieces of the statue and on Tuesday showed off its 10-foot-tall model to The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press.

The 1980s science fiction movie was set in a futuristic and crime-ridden Detroit.

The movement for a Robocop statue started in 2011 after a social networking campaign exploded in support of the project, quickly raising money to make it happen.

Brandon Walley, director of development for the nonprofit the Imagination Station, says the statue “will add nicely to Detroit and the rejuvenation that’s happening here.” He says the hope is that the statue will stand in a prominent place downtown.